Joan Barbara Atwell Duckett

Joan Barbara Atwell Duckett died peacefully on March 5, 2026, in Easton, Maryland, after a brief illness. She had just turned 91 on March 2nd. Joan was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 2, 1935. She lived there for the first year of her life until her family built a home and moved to Glen Burnie, Maryland. She was an only child. She grew up in Glen Burnie and graduated valedictorian from Glen Burnie High School in 1953. She worked for the FBI and then Westinghouse until she married the love of her life, George S. Duckett, in 1956. They settled in Arnold, Maryland where they raised their two daughters. After 56 years in Arnold, Joan and George moved into a cottage at William Hill Manor (now Acts Bayleigh Chase Retirement Community) in Easton, Maryland. Joan served as librarian at Bayleigh Chase for several years. Joan was a stay-at-home mom until their youngest daughter entered Belvedere Elementary School. Then she took a part-time job with the Anne Arundel County Public School System at Belvedere Elementary as a secretary so she could be home with the children when they were off school. Subsequently, she worked part-time at Severna Park Junior High School and Severn River Middle School. From there she worked full-time for many years as the administrative secretary to the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction at the Anne Arundel County Public School Central Office in Annapolis. Her last position was at Broadneck High School where she served as secretary to the principal. She retired from the Anne Arundel County Public School System in 1995 after 30 years of service. She took great pride in her work and was loved by everyone she worked with. The most important thing to Joan was family. She was the heart of her family and would do anything for them. She would decorate for every holiday – big and small. She made everything special. She loved to cook and bake and try new recipes that she shared with family and friends. Her meals and goodies were the very best and she passed her love of cooking and baking on to her daughters and granddaughter. Music was a big part of Joan’s life. She loved all kinds of music from country to classical. She played the piano and she loved to sing. She sang with the Bayleigh Chase Chorus for many years. Joan also loved photography and was always taking pictures of family and friends. Over the years, she assembled many photo albums filled with pictures of family, friends, and the many vacations she took with George. She also had an interest in genealogy and researched both her family history and George’s family history. She created detailed books documenting their respective family histories going back to the 1800s. Her family will always cherish the albums and books she created. Joan and George loved to travel. When their children were young, they camped frequently with family and friends. They loved the ocean and, for decades, they spent time with their family every summer in the time share they had in Ocean City. After their children were grown, they traveled all over the country visiting most of the National Parks and historic sites. They also traveled to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Their favorite place of all was Saint John. One of the last things Joan said before she died was what a wonderful life she had had with family and friends. Joan was predeceased by her parents, Catherine and Raymond Atwell, and her loving husband of 64 years, George S. Duckett. She is survived by her daughters, Kathleen McCann (Scott), and Terry Tedore (John); her two grandchildren, Sandra McCann and Shane Sandifer; and her great grandson, George Biagini. There will be a memorial gathering on April 18, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in the Taylor Auditorium at Bayleigh Chase Retirement Community, 500 Dutchman’s Lane, Easton, Maryland 21601. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Joan’s memory to the American Cancer Society.

Joan Barbara Atwell Duckett

March 2, 1935 - March 5, 2026